Writing device



J. W. WATKINS WRITING DEVICE Feb. 23, 1954 Filed Feb. 13, 1955 INVENTOR. Jam WWaZ/czyzg Patented Feb. 23, 1954 WRITING DEVICE James W. Watkins, Aurora, Ill., assignor to The Strathmore Company, Aurora, Ill., a copartnership Application February 13, 1953, Serial No. 336,739

3 Claims.

This invention relates to certain innovations and improvements in writing devices of the type which include a pad for receiving and temporarily retaining written matter or drawings resulting from an impression made by a stylus on a smooth nlm and which Writing or drawings can be made to disappear without erasure. Pads of this type are disclosed, for example, in Patents Nos. 1,555,642, dated September 29, 1925, and 2,074,855, dated March 23, 1937.

The invention relates more specifically to improvements and innovations in writing and drawing devices or duplicators of the type disclosed in Deutsch Patent No. 1,512,827 wherein a writing pad of the type referred to above may be withdrawn from a supporting frame or holder so as to use this movement to cause the written matter or drawings on the pad to disappear.

The Deutsch Patent No. 1,555,642 and the Paasche Patent No. 2,074,855 disclose writing pads of the type comprising a backing member, the upper surface of which is coated with a pressure sensitive or impressionable material, usually of a waxy nature, and having sheets of translucent or diaphanous lm covering the backing member and attached thereto along the one edge thereof. The coating on the backing member is black or dark colored. The diaphanous 111m is light colored, usually being white in appearance, semitransparent or tramlucent. The translucent lm and the coating material on the backing panel are of such a nature that if a smooth-pointed or round-pointed instrument such as a stylus is pressed or moved over the top of the film, the lm will be caused to adhere to the impressionable pressure sensitive coating along the pressure lines with the result that the dark color shows through the iilm and appears as a darkcolored line.

An improved construction is obtained by making the translucent nlm very thin and pliable and protecting it with a transparent protective sheet formed of a tougher and heavier nlm. The protective nlm is laid on top of the thin translucent lm. The writing pads shown in Deutsch Patent No. 1,555,642 and Paasche Patent No. 2,074,855 have such transparent protective top sheets. Evans Patent No. 1,455,579, dated May 15, 1923, discloses a writing pad of this general type which does not have such a transparent top protective lm or sheet but instead has only the thin translucent, light-colored sheet lying over the coating on the backing member.

After one of the pads of the type referred to above has been written on, the written matter or drawings may be caused to disappear by separating the films or sheets from the backing member. The simplest way of eiecting such a separation is to lift the sheets from the surface of the backing member. Another method of separating the sheets from the backing member is to part the sheets by means of a wire or a thread moved therebetween. Deutsch Patent No. 1,512,- 827 referred to above discloses one of these writing pads disposed in a supporting holder so as to make use of a parting wire or paper strip which serves to separate or part the thin lms from the backing member upon withdrawal of the pad from the holder. However, the structure disclosed in the Deutsch Patent No. 1,512,827 has certain disadvantages. In the rst place the construction disclosed in that patent is not neat but is bulky and the pad has a sloppy t within the holder. In addition, that structure requires the use of metal binding strips at the edges and is costly to manufacture and assemble.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an improved supporting frame and holder, of cardboard or paperboard construction, for a writing and drawing device of the type which comprises a pad or slate of the type which receives temporary impressions which can be removed by separation of a thin pliable translucent over-sheet from the dark waxy coating oi a backing member, the pad or slate being slidable in the frame and holder which has a parting strip for separating the over-sheet of the pad from the backing member thereby causing written matter or drawings to disappear. Certain other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, be apparent from the following detailed description.

For a more compete understanding of the nature and scope of the present invention, reference may now be had to the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, or a device made in accordance with the present invention and comprising a writing pad or" the type described which is slidably mounted in a supporting frame and holder;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 2l- 2 of Fig. 1;

3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view on enlarged scale take-n on line 5--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 4-4 of l; and

Fig. 5 isa top perspective view of the pad used in the embodiment shown in Fig. l with parts of certain sheets torn away.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 5 designates generally a writing pad of the type adapted to receive disappearing written matter and drawings as described above and the reference numeral 6 designates generally the supporting liran-ie andhojlder for the pad. -iThe pad 5 is of known type and consists of abacking'merm ber I formed of relatively heavy cardboard or similar material, the top surface of which is coated with a darla-colored or black waxy coating II of known composition which is somewhat tacky in nature and which is impressionable 4along narrow pressure lines. A translucent or -semi-opaque impression sheet I2 of thin fil-m lies over the coating II. For example, a A,lightly pigmented film of rubber hydrochloride iilm (e. g., Plioiilm) serves very well for this sheet I2 although it will be understood that other films may like- -w-isebe used satisfactorily.

its mentioned above, :.it'is `usually desirable `to use a lm for 4the sheet I2 lwhich'is -ivery pliable, lthin and whichdoes not take on a permanent set. Although such films may be used without a protective sheet, it is usually `desirable to protect lthem :with a iilm or -sheet i3 ofclear transparent film-material such as cellophane or .cellulose acetate. The nlm or sheet 13 may be relatively stiff and heavy, so long as lpressure can be transmitted therethrough along lines to the vunderlying :iilm -f|2 andthe -impressionabl-e `coating Il.

The sheets I2 and I3 are secured `to the backing member It along the ripper ledge thereof in any suitable manner such, v-for example, as by `means of a strip of binding material :Ill which `is suitably adhered to the back "marginal edge voi the panel 'It as well as to the marginal .ledge vof 'theltop sheet I 3. For fgreaterfsecurity, :the `sheets I2'and =I3 may be sta-pledto the backing member I0 as indicated at I'5-|:5 in1'l5ig.r5.

AvrIhe supporting frame -or holder '36 for the .pad 5-consistsoi a backing panel I6 formed of heavy cardboard or Vsimilar material. A pairof .cardfboard :guide strips Ile-I7 `are Secured to `the top lof the-backing panel I6 along the opposite sides thereof lby use of adhesive or other securing means.

'The-guide strips ill have a thickness .which -is approximately the same as the thickness of the pad f5. 'lt will be seen `from Fig. .4 ithat :the side edges or" the vpad f5, and lmore particularly of the 'backing member I0, have a sliding lit vwith the `inner edges-ofthe guide strips Iii-I1 as indicated yat 1li-I8. 'The upper ends of the guide lstrips i fI-"l'i--Il' lare interconnected by a "top strip "2Q of approximately r.the same lthickness as fthe strips |11. The side strips I7 vand the topstripi'l :may sbe integrally die `cut from a piece liof cardboard fof suitable thickness in one U-shaped piece. The top strip E3 -serves as a stop to arrest fthe inward or upward movement of thefpad l5 when it is slid into the holder 6, the top edge of the pad engag- -ing against the inner or lbottom edge of the top strip 2li as shown in"-Fig.''2. 'It will'thus be seen =that theguidestrip and the top strip 2E) in ef- -fect provide an accurate border for the pad 5 which is open at the'bottom. 'When the pad 5 is in Vplaceon the'backing panel |56 in between the guide strip Il, the top 4surface of the pad 5 will be substantially ush or level with the top surface of the'strips Il and 2ll.

`In order :to part orseparate the sheet .I2 Yfrom the coating il and thereby cause r`written ma fterial or drawings on the pad 'to disappear,I a

4 parting strip 2| of paper or other suitable material is placed across the bottom end of the holder 6 with the opposite ends of the strip 2| being secured by adhesive or otherwise to the lower ends of the guide strips I'l-I'I as shown in Fig. 4. The device is assembled with the strip 2| extending between the sheet I2 and the coatling -zI'I on :the pad 5. `rEhe assembly is'gretaned VAin place by means of a retainer 'frame or cover 22 which may be formed of paper cut so that its fouter dimensions corresponding to those of the `supporting frame or holder 6. The retainer 22 is provided with a window opening 23 with the in- -ner ledges of this :window opening overhanging the inner edges p f the guide strips I1, as indicated at I9-I9 Ain Fig. 4, and the bottom edge of .thetop strip-.2.0,and covering the parting strip 2| as indicated at 24 in Fig. 2. Accordingly, the -coveror'border 22 in effect serves to provide retention grooves along opposite edges of the pad .L5 and a `.groove at the 'top of the .holder ,T6 :forre- -zceiving the top yedge of athe pad 15 Vwhen the jpad Vis fully inserted into :the holder 6.

In order that the pad *5 may be 4c om/.eniently graspedpitor withdrawal `from'theiholder;G,fad1a incon :cutout 25 (Fig. 1) is formed lin the fbot- ,tom .edge lof the retainer 122 :and another half :moon cutout26 (Fig. :2) is formed inthe bottom edge of the backing panel I6 Vso that ,the bottom edge of the pad -5 :may be .grasped between fthe -ioriennger andthe thumb 4whenit is desired to Withdraw `the same from the holder 6.

Usually .the surface of the retainer `frame 22 will v:be `suitably decorated with pictures, ,directions and advertising. Additionally, it `:is ldesir.- ;a'ble to print various designs on the top '.fsui.- ytace of thebacking panel -iI within 'the area :defined by the strips Il, I"| and .20 so as lto :be exposed .and visible when the :pad 5 vis withdrawn from the holder. A series of such ydesigns *is shown in `Fig. y'1. It will :be noted that the de.- `signs in the top row 2.1 .consist merely `of :circles. The designs .in the :second row 5.2.8 consist :of the circles with basic markings therein. iZ'Ihe Vdesigns in fthe third row ,29 have additionalfmarkings .and so on li'fhrough rows :3.0 yand :3J with :the :designsin the last .row 3| vbeing complete car-ica- '.tures or outlines.

In use a child may pull .out the pad $5 sufficiently far to expose the first row 21. These out.- lines can then be duplicated 4by thechild .onrthe bottom margin of the pad 5 and nafter this row is completed, the `pad 5 can be pulled .out lanother ro-w so as to expose the second row 2.8 and so on until the design is completed. Afterthe designs have been completed, `they maybe caused to disappear by reason of the parting strip ,2| separating the `iilrn or sheet I2 from the base 4tor coating I I when the sliding pad 5 is ,pushed'ully into the frame 6.

If it is desired to conserve space, lthe :rstzrow 21 of `outlines can "be printed on top of theretainer .22 along the upper vmargin thereof.

Except for the lms |2 and I:3, it -will be seen that rthe pad 5 and the holder S Aare fabricated entirely from paper or cardboard stock. All `of the parts can be cut or stamped .to size andpreadily fabricated on a mass productionhasis. :The pads 5 can be separately manufactured vand insorted yin the partially lfabricated supporting frame or holder 6. That is, the side .guide .strips I'1 and the top strip 20 will'be in place `on Athe backing panel iI6. The parting strip v2.I can also be in place and the pad :5 inserted iin place by liiting the Sheets I2 .and |3 .so-as 11o-extend -orei' accor/c1 the parting strip 2 I. Then the retainer frame or sheet 22 is secured in place and the unit is completely fabricated. The structure is compact and neat and has fiat top and bottom surfaces. The fabrication can be made with such accuracy that the pad 5 slides smoothly in and out of the holder 6 without play.

It will be understood that certain minor modifications in design and details may be made in the embodiment of the invention described above in connection with the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, the particular embodiment of the invention which has been shown and described is intended to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a pad adapted to receive and temporarily retain Written matter or drawings which can be made to disappear without erasure, and a supporting frame and holder for said pad: said pad comprising a backing member formed of relatively thick and stiff cardboard having a dark-colored pressure-sensitive coating on the upper surface thereof and a sheet of lightcolored translucent film secured along the top edge of said backing member; `and said support- V ing frame and holder comprising, a bottom panel formed of relatively thick and stiff cardboard, strips of cardboard extending atwise along and over the two side margins and across the top margin of said bottom panel and having a thickness approximately the same as that of said pad. the strips along the side margins serving as guides for the adjacent side edges of said pad when said pad is withdrawn from said frame and holder and the top strip serving as a limiting stop for the vtop edge of said backing member when said pad is pushed back into said supporting frame and holder, a parting strip extending over the bottom margin of said bottom panel with the ends of the parting strip secured to the bottom ends of said side guide strips, said parting strip passing in between the impressionable upper surface of said pad backing member and said light-colored translucent film so as to part said lm from said upper surface of said backing member when said pad is slidably withdrawn from said frame and holder, and a cover retainer member for retaining said pad. in said frame and holder secured atwise over the upper surfaces of said side and top strips, said cover retainer having a window opening therein with l the edges of the window opening located inwardly from the corresponding adjacent edges of said cardboard side and top strips so as to project over said bottom panel and define covered retaining grooves for the side and top edges of said pad.

2. The construction called for in claim 1, wherein the ends of said parting strip are pasted on top of the adjacent ends of said guide strips and the bottom side of said cover retainer is wide enough to completely cover said parting strip.

3. The device called for in claim 1, wherein the central portion of the upper surface area of said bottom panel which is exposed when said pad is withdrawn from said supporting frame and holder is printed with at least one series of designs which upon being copied progressively lead to a completed design, a basic component of said design being located at the top of said exposed area and the completed design being located towards the bottom of said exposed area with at least one intermediately completed part of the design disposed between said basic component and said completed design. JAMES W. WATKINS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,512,827 Deutsch Oct. 21, 1924 1,556,499 Deutsch Oct. 6, 1925 2,359,195 Berliner et al. Sept. 26, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5.987 Great Britain July 21, 1910 

